


Fuss

by meils121



Category: Leverage
Genre: Light Angst, Multi, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meils121/pseuds/meils121
Summary: Soul bonds are beautiful and terrible, wonderful and painful, good and bad all wrapped up into one.  Eliot doesn’t always know what to do with them.  He never thought he’d be bonded, never thought he’d find someone - let alone two someones - who shared a piece of his soul.
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Comments: 4
Kudos: 103
Collections: The Leverage Exchange Master Collection





	Fuss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TenKnifeFoot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenKnifeFoot/gifts).



Soul bonds are beautiful things. This, Eliot knows for certain. He loves feeling the flare of happiness when Parker finds a new sparkly, expensive thing to steal. He loves the rush of satisfaction he feels when Hardison finds a bug in the code he’s been working on for a long time. He loves knowing that his soulmates are safe and happy. That’s all he’s ever really cared about, if he’s being honest.

Soul bonds are terrible things. This, Eliot knows for certain. He hates feeling the flare of pain when someone swings at Hardison and Eliot isn’t close enough to stop them. He hates the rush of fear he feels when Parker is cornered by someone that reminds her of the monsters in her past. He hates knowing that his soulmates are hurt and scared. It’s too much sometimes, if he’s being honest.

Soul bonds are beautiful and terrible, wonderful and painful, good and bad all wrapped up into one. Eliot doesn’t always know what to do with them. He never thought he’d be bonded, never thought he’d find someone - let alone two someones - who shared a piece of his soul. He doesn’t know what he did to deserve that sort of love. But when he voices that thought, late one night, Parker just shrugs and tucks her hand into his, and Hardison just says that Nana always told him that you don’t question the universe on things like soul bonds. 

Jobs sometimes go wrong, and then sometimes they go wrong. It’s not often that Eliot meets someone who’s a good match for him. They get out and get the job done, but Eliot’s got two black eyes and a sore jaw and some bruised ribs to show for it. He’s kinda out of it, to be honest, probably got a concussion to finish off his misery with a nice little bow. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t notice what Parker’s doing at first. 

“Stop.” He says when he does realize, enough pain leached away to make his head a little clearer. There’s pain written across Parker’s face now, a hurt that is supposed to be Eliot’s to carry. It takes some effort, but he’s able to close down the bond enough that she can’t take his pain any more. The hurt on her face goes away only to be replaced by new hurt. Eliot looks away.

“You take my pain all the time.” Parker says, a little angry now. “And when Hardison busted up his ankle you took it every time he so much as grimaced.”

“It’s different.” Eliot says, even though he knows full well it’s not.

Parker calls him out on it immediately. “No, it’s not.” She says with the dangerous sort of intensity that gets most people squirming in their seats. “It’s not, Eliot. We’re bonded.” The last words are a little sad, a little desperate, and Eliot still can’t make himself look at her. 

“Why?” Hardison asks then. “Why can’t we take your pain? You’re hurting, Eliot, can see that plain as day.”

Eliot’s running out of places to look, so he focuses on his hands. There’s blood smeared across his knuckles and he frowns at it. “”S not fair.” He mutters finally. “I get hurt worse than you ever will. I don’t want you to feel hurt like that.”

Hardison lets out a slow breath. Eliot keeps staring at his hands. It’s Parker who breaks the silence, Parker who tucks herself against Eliot and starts poking at the bond until Eliot can’t help but let his guards down. Parker’s hurt flares through the bond, Hardison’s echoing behind her. Eliot can’t help it. He starts to cry. 

“Aw, hell.” Hardison says. “Mama, we’re supposed to be making him feel better.”

Parker pets Eliot’s hair and hums, considering. “I think we are.” She says quietly, her voice right in Eliot’s ear. “Right?”

The last of Eliot’s defences come down. He can’t quite tell if it’s Parker or Hardison taking his pain through the bond, doesn’t want to look up and find out, but this time he lets it happen. He feels weak. He’s supposed to protect them, not give them hurts they can’t handle.

Except - they do handle them. Hardison doesn’t even moan about the pain. Parker just keeps carding her fingers through Eliot’s hair. Eliot’s head gets a little clearer, the fuzziness of pain fading away. He can think straight again, see the different angles in a way that he couldn’t when the pain was so sharp.

“Oh.” He says, because there’s not much else to say to this particular revelation. 

“Split three ways, the pain isn’t so bad.” Parker says. “And it leaves you to think clearly enough to get all of us out of a bad situation.”

“Sharing the load means less hurt for everyone.” Hardison adds. Eliot risks glancing up. The other man looks a little uncomfortable, like he’s just stubbed his toe, but he’s not in the pain that Eliot had felt only moments earlier. 

Eliot ducks his head again, feeling shame. “Sorry.” He says, because he gets it now. Soul bonds are beautiful things, he thinks, as Parker tucks herself even closer against him and Hardison’s hand comes down to rest on Eliot’s shoulder. 

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Parker says firmly. “We’re bonded.” She adds, like it should be that simple, and maybe it could be.

“Now let us fuss.” Hardison adds, and Eliot can hear the smile in his voice. He leans into their touch and lets them take some of the pain he’s carrying. Not all of it - probably never all of it, not in the way they let him take theirs - but enough that it’s split between the three of them. And he thinks that maybe, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.


End file.
